Owners Clif Gauthier and Helene Garneau and Peggy Chicoris, general manager, with the sample plate of homemade donuts.

Written by

Tricia Vanderhoof

For the Daily Record

A beignet topped with powdered sugar. The newly-opened Beignets at 45 Broadway in Denville makes French-style beignets to order and topped with your choice of glaze or powdered sugar. / Photos by Karen Mancinelli/For the Daily Record

Made to order donuts, from bottom left, Caramel Bacon, S'mores and Camryn's Strawberry Fields.

"Each is fresh, warm, and made-to-order," says Clif Gauthier, co-owner with Helene Garneau. Be prepared to wait 150 seconds for yours to come out of the fryer, then specify your choice of six glazes, a dozen toppings and choice of sugar.

Beignet (ben-yay) is the French term for a pastry, usually square, made from deep-fried choux paste, traditionally topped with powdered sugar. Brought to Louisiana in the 1700s by French colonists, beignets are especially popular in New Orleans and are usually served in threes.

She has traveled throughout Europe, "And when we travel, our stops are usually espresso stops. Here we feature different coffees, lattes and espressos imported from Italy, gelato and Mighty Leaf gourmet teas."

There are six gelato flavors: chocolate and stracciatella are constant; the other four are available on a rotating basis. Affogato ala Café is hot espresso served over vanilla gelato ($4.95).

In addition to beignets (three for $3.50) and donuts ($1.50 each), there are croissants, muffins, donut-cakes and frappés — blended frozen coffee drinks, chocolate or caramel. Coffees can be ordered iced or blended, and can be purchased by-the-pound (starting $12.95/lb.).

The Beignet Special is single-shot espresso, dark chocolate with whipped cream, "And the breakfast egg muffin is huge," Gauthier says. "We fold the bread into a muffin pan, fill it with bacon, cheddar and our egg mixture."

Garneau comes up with recipes and is head baker: "I always cooked with my grandmother and learned just by doing it. I'm a good cook but I always loved baking. It's really an art."

"I just follow her instructions," says Peggy Chicoris, general manager. "Helene's the one that has the gift."

Leila's Birthday Cakes — named after Garneau's grand-daughter — can be ordered with donuts piled atop one another, or in tiers separated by a candy-filled clear glass bowl.

Specials vary. "Right now it's an apple strudel stick — we're always trying different things," says Garneau, who says she doesn't follow recipes and isn't afraid to take a risk with ingredients.

Garneau grew up in the restaurant business. “Our family always had diners or restaurants. I had a BYOB and espresso bar in Mount Freedom and then owned Blackstone in Rockaway,” she says. "I thought I'd never do another one although we all talked about it for a couple of years.”

Gauthier: "Then one day we just went shopping one day for a location."

Friends and family

Gauthier, an armed services veteran, is Garneau's nephew. "I started in Helene's first place at 15 and completed VoTech's two-year culinary curriculum," he says. "It was inevitable." His experience spanned Lake Mohawk Country Club in Sparta to manager of Mexicali Rose in Montclair. He also served four years in the Marines from 1999-2003, which included a tour in Iraq.

From the beginning, community involvement has been part of Beignet's philosophy. Part of the proceeds from the Oct. 1 grand opening were donated directly back to Lake Drive School in Mountain Lakes.

Everyone who works at Beignets is either family of friends of family. The peach-and-white striped wallpaper and overall design are courtesy of Helene's sister Marianne. Helene's husband Ed (E. Garneau General Contracting, Rockaway) took care of the construction. Gauthier's wife Ashley does all the menu boards and the writing.